Chiffon Cake Recipe: 3 Tips for Making Chiffon Cake

Chiffon cake is a light cake made from flour, eggs, sugar, and oil. This classic dessert is a hybrid between a foam cake (a cake that relies on egg whites for volume and contains no fat) and a butter cake (a cake that includes butter or another fat, like oil). In a chiffon cake recipe, egg whites and egg yolks are incorporated separately to allow the egg whites to provide a more pillowy, sky-high texture.

Chiffon cakes are traditionally baked in a tube pan like angel food cake, but they can also be made in standard cake pans and assembled into a layer cake. You can serve the cake on its own, with fresh fruit, or cover it in whipped cream or buttercream frosting.

Chiffon cake batter is an ideal format for experimenting with more subtle flavoring, but the light dessert can’t accommodate too many heavy mix-ins. Here are a few popular variations:

1. 1. Vanilla chiffon cake. Vanilla chiffon cake is the classic representation of the form. Lightly scented with pure vanilla extract, the cake is mild enough to complement any garnishes or toppings, like fresh fruit or toasted coconut. Use pure vanilla paste instead of extract for a deeper, more well-rounded expression.
2. 2. Lemon chiffon cake. Extracts and citrus juice are among the most popular ways to flavor a chiffon cake. Light, tangy, and refreshing, lemon chiffon cakes feature lemon juice and lemon zest into the batter.
3. 3. Pistachio chiffon cake. A small amount of finely ground pistachios lend a brilliant green hue to the batter and a mellow, nutty flavor. Pair with a buttercream frosting enhanced with a few drops of rose water or orange blossom water.

Chiffon cake is the best of both worlds—the right equipment and a few specific techniques will help it hit the right notes.

1. 1. Use an angel food cake pan. Chiffon cakes bake best in a baking pan known as a tube pan, which bakers commonly use to make angel food cake. While it can be tempting to use a non-stick Bundt pan—a different type of tube pan with fluted sides—a standard tube pan is uncoated, which helps chiffon cakes rise.
2. 2. Invert the cake to cool it. You’ll need to bring the cake to room temperature before removing it from the pan to prevent the air bubbles from collapsing. Cool your chiffon cake upside-down in the pan to maintain the cake’s height.
3. 3. Whisking vs. folding the batter. While most conventional foam cake wisdom states that bakers should fold the meringue into the batter with a rubber spatula, you can lose precious air bubbles in the process and unevenly disperse the volume. Whisking the meringue in increments with a large balloon whisk ensures an even distribution of volume and won’t break up the meringue.